Ant Queen's POV //

  As its minions swarmed within the chamber, their many eyes fixed on their queen, awaiting her command, the ant queen carefully scanned the area, searching for any sign of the intruder.

  "Bring the intruder to me when I give the order."

  The swarm's antennae twitched as they received her command, like static crackling through a radio. Without hesitation, they turned and focused their gaze in the direction their queen had indicated. Moments ter, a silhouette emerged—a red fledgling dragon, stepping forward with a majestic stride, revealing itself in full.

  The young dragon came to an abrupt halt upon seeing the overwhelming number of ants before it. Hesitant, it muttered to itself, but when the ant queen caught sight of its expression—one that seemed to mock her—her patience snapped.

  Seize it! Bring it to me!

  The swarm of ants sprang into action the moment their creator’s command echoed through the chamber, releasing an angry, high-pitched shrill. Their simple minds were driven by a singur purpose—to seize the intruder as ordered. Even if it cost them their lives, they would stop at nothing to accomplish their queen’s will.

  ?

  Moments ter, as the queen watched her minions being effortlessly reduced to ashes or crushed beneath the falling rubble, she was left speechless. The sheer one-sidedness of the battle momentarily rendered her dumbstruck. The red dragon fledgling's fighting style was a mystery to her, but one thought consumed her mind—how could her vast swarm fail to capture a mere fledgling? Instead of overwhelming their foe, their numbers were steadily dwindling.

  Go! Bring me that small dragon!

  Understood mother they said in unison

  Frustrated by the failure of her lesser minions, the queen turned to her elite guards—her most powerful warriors. If the weaker ones couldn't complete their task, then she would send those who could. Confident in their superior strength, she commanded them forward, certain they would succeed where the others had failed.

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  The once-overwhelming swarm of ants had now been reduced to just a small fraction of their original numbers. My fmes alone had wiped out most of them, leaving behind piles of charred and crushed remains scattered throughout the ant queen’s chamber.

  However, my magic was also nearly drained from continuous use. To conserve my strength, I devised a strategy—luring them into a tight cluster before unleashing my abilities, making it easier to eliminate them all at once with minimal effort.

  From the corner of my eye, I noticed the queen’s guards beginning to move.

  At first, I assumed they were a commander ant type. But as I observed them more closely, I realized I was wrong. They weren’t commanders—they were the queen’s elite guards, stationed near her, remaining still while the swarm obeyed her initial orders.

  "So, she’s finally sending them in, huh?" I muttered.

  I hadn’t yet finished dealing with the rest of the swarm, and now the elite guards were joining the fight.

  "Tch... how troublesome," I scoffed in irritation. "These ants can actually withstand my fmes."

  Shriiek

  The three elite guards let out a sharp shriek, instantly halting the movement of the lesser ants. The scattered swarm quickly reorganized, rushing toward the elite guards' position.

  "As I thought," I spat in frustration.

  Just like the ones I had encountered earlier, these elite guards possessed a commanding influence over the lesser ants. My strategy to efficiently thin their numbers had been disrupted, as the lesser ants now followed the elite guards’ orders, making their coordination even more troublesome.

  "Still, they’re grouping up with the elite guards... and there are only three of them," I reassured myself.

  Now, I was completely surrounded in a triangur formation. If I attacked from the front, I would be overwhelmed from the sides and behind. I was trapped in a difficult situation.

  "Hmph... don’t think you’ve got me cornered just yet!" I roared defiantly.

  Though they had encircled me, limiting my movement in every direction, they had overlooked one crucial thing—there was still one way out. I could fly.

  With the vast space around me, I could still take to the air. Fortunately, there were no flying ants among their ranks, which was a relief. While I couldn't glide or soar freely, it was enough to escape the encirclement they had formed.

  "Now do you understand, you insects?!" I mocked as I ascended. "You don't have the power to bring down a mighty dragon like me! Fools!"

  I nded in a favorable position, preparing to unleash my abilities. Spotting one of the elite guards and the swarm it commanded, I wasted no time.

  Bwoosh!

  A torrent of fmes engulfed the elite guard and its lesser ants, reducing them to nothing but charred remains.

  With that, my rampage resumed. No matter how many times they surrounded me, I could escape mid-air and reposition myself to strike effectively. I cut down lesser ants with my cws, sparing my magic for more significant threats.

  Using hit-and-run tactics, I continued culling their numbers, relentlessly weakening the elite guards. At one point, I unleashed an explosion, forcing one of them to shield itself—only for its front leg to shatter under the impact.

  As I indulged in my self-procimed victory over this one-sided massacre, a soldier ant suddenly pounced at me. Instinctively, I swung my cws, slicing its head clean off.

  However, to my shock, the severed head cmped down on my arm with its powerful mandibles.

  I had heard of creatures in my world that could still move even after being decapitated—their bodies remaining functional for a time despite losing their heads. It seemed these ants possessed a simir trait, their resilience proving more troublesome than I had anticipated.

  I swiftly lopped off the severed head clinging to my arm with my other cw, disposing of it with ease.

  "Hmph… I’ll give you credit for nding a hit on me, but that was nothing—" My words caught in my throat as I suddenly noticed a strange sensation spreading through my arm.

  It was going numb.

  "Poison!" I excimed, eyes widening.

  The feeling was unsettling—simir to when you unknowingly fall asleep on your arm and wake up to find it completely weak and unresponsive.

  "Tch… I was careless," I spat in frustration. "So they have paralysis poison, huh?"

  I hadn't even considered the possibility. This was the first time I had been bitten, and my overconfidence had blinded me to the danger. Reality hit me hard—if that bite had nded anywhere more vital, I might not have been so lucky. These creatures were far more dangerous than I had given them credit for.

  Just the thought of being bitten by an entire swarm of these ants sent a chilling sense of dread through me.